Circus Smirkus returning to Saratoga July 9 and 10

Shows will be at 1 and 7 p.m. both days. Tickets are $20 for adults (13 and older) and $17 for children (2 to 12) and are available at www.smirkus.org, by calling 1-877-SMIRKUS, or locally at Crafter's Gallery in downtown Saratoga Springs. Children younger than 2 will be admitted free to sit on an adult's lap.

More than two dozen teenagers will bring youthful exuberance and polished skills from all parts of the country. The show is full of aerials, acrobatics, highwire, juggling, trapeze and clowning.

In its 25th year, Circus Smirkus is the only American youth circus to put on a full-season tour under its own big top, a 24-meter, 750-seat, one-ring European-style tent. The Saratoga Springs shows are presented by The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs.

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Joining Smirkus for his first summer on the tour is Saratoga Springs' own Keenan Wright-Sanson, who just completed his freshman year at The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs. He specializes in the slack line and will also feature his clowning abilities on the tour.

He is the younger brother of Taylor Wright-Sanson, a Waldorf School alum who toured with Smirkus from 2005 to 2010.

Troupers are selected for skill, character and personality through an audition process that begins in November.

This year's troupe hails from 10 states, as well as the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

The show is created over the winter months. Then, in three intense weeks in early June, the troupers arrive and the show is rehearsed at the Smirkus headquarters in Greensboro, Vt., before going on the road.

They learn about teamwork, community and giving service back to the community through free performances at children's hospitals and nursing homes.

Smirkus troupers often go on to successful careers in the circus arts. Smirkus graduates have performed with Ringling Bros., Big Apple, Cirque du Soleil and circuses across Europe and Asia.

For the fifth straight year, a ticket donation program will make it possible for children to attend for free through several social service agencies. This year's free ticket program has been renamed the "GE Magic Matinee," to acknowledge a substantial grant from GE that will allow the Waldorf School to sustain and expand the program. Children who wouldn't otherwise be able to see the circus will attend through Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Girls Inc., Saratoga Mentoring, Make-a-Wish Foundation and other community agencies.